The real enemies of public education

He told 3,000 people at the California Charter Schools Association conference last week, “The fundamental problem with school districts is not their fault. It’s that they don’t get to control their board.”

It’s not necessarily the board members, he argued, it’s that flip-flopping governance prohibits long-term planning and improvement. You know, the darn democracy thing. So uncontrollable.

Many who endure hourslong school board meetings, and sometimes meddling trustees, might agree. And what solution does Hastings, former president of the State Board of Education under Arnold Schwarzenegger, propose?

Create self-perpetuating boards. As examples that promote evolution and progress, he cited non-profits, the military, the Catholic Church, universities and political parties.

Let’s see. A San Jose Unified board modeled after the Democratic Central Committee? An East Side Union board run like the Navy?

He does concede the public kind of likes the election thing. So he suggests the charter school movement just keep expanding. With charters educating 90 percent of students in New Orleans, La., he noted, California has a lot of catching up to do.

At least Hastings himself has been constant in his criticism. In 2010, he told the same group that “We have so many great educators trapped in our current school districts with these publicly elected boards.”

And you thought Occupy was bringing on the revolution from the left.

Sharon Noguchi

Sharon Noguchi covers K-12 education for the San Jose Mercury News and the Bay Area News Group.